Ask Marty: How do you choose what dental technology to buy?

Q: How do you decide what dental technology to purchase for your office?

A: You choose what dental technology to purchase based on the needs of your practice.

The first thing you need to do is a complete assessment of what technology you think may be relevant to your practice and how you practice dentistry. After you do the assessment, you can then develop the plan for implementing the technology.

For example, before you acquire digital radiography, you need to have the computer infrastructure in place. If your staff will be using the technology, what training will they need to ensure they have the skills to use the technology efficiently?

Return on investment (ROI) also needs to be considered. Most technology is an investment, and by spending this money, what will be the return? Although we consider the ROI in dollar figures, sometimes it can be increased efficiency in the practice (which does save dollars) or making the practice more enjoyable for the doctor or more comfortable for the patient (marketing ROI).

So there are many different things to consider. Don't just go into the technology acquisition process with the attitude, "I want that!" Do a thorough needs assessment and educate yourself on the technology through continuing education or online via forums. Technology consultants can help you in picking out technology they know works.

After doing all of your homework, only then can you determine if the technology is affordable and can be deployed properly in your practice for the maximum return on investment.

Marty Jablow, DMD, lectures and consults extensively about integrating technologies into the modern dental practice (www.dentaltechnologycoach.com). If you have a technology question for Dr. Jablow, send it to [email protected].